Britain revises travel advice

Britain revises travel advice

BRITAIN: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Monday the government would only advise against traveling to a country affected by terrorism if the threat was "extreme and imminent."

The Foreign Office has held an internal review of the advice it offers travelers. It was criticized for not upgrading warnings against travel to Indonesia before the nightclub bombings in Bali, but has also been accused of damaging the tourist trade in countries such as Kenya.

Straw said it was important to strike a balance between protecting British nationals and causing unnecessary disruption.

"When the threat is acute, it will inevitably lead to some disruption in travel in the interests of public safety," Straw said in a statement to the House of Commons. "But at the same time we must make sure we do not do the terrorists' work for them by causing too much of the disruption which they seek." --AP